There’s a little known secret for those of us who publish books on Amazon Kindle. You can customize your book description using HTML to create headlines, center and justify text, insert images,
Read More »

I’ve been focusing on my books and have published over a dozen books in the last year, started a publishing company and already have more clients than I can handle and am now earning about $10k a month from my ebook royalties alone. It’s been a fun ride!

So I wanted to share some lessons I’ve learned in the past year and hope it might inspire you.

1) Focus

I’ve started over 10 businesses since I was 13 and have always had the habit of starting many projects. That’s a perfectly fine habit, but the habit of finishing a project is very important as well. Make sure you finish what you start! Like that book you’ve been writing

2) Start Small, Grow Fast

Start small with a new info product or business. Launch something small and see how the market likes it. Get feedback from your early customers and make your product even better. I see people try to launch $2,000 courses as their first product and I think it’s a bit backwards. Why not start with the top of the funnel instead of the bottom? You’ll learn a lot more that way because you’ll have a lot more customers to teach you.

3) Get a Damn Good Team

I’ve had 6 VA’s and they all were mediocre at best until I found my most recent one. I wouldn’t give him up for anything! Keep looking until you find the right people for your team. The same thing goes with attorneys, consultants, coaches, etc. Don’t settle for mediocre, look for the best.

4) Integrate What Works

I’ve been using Facebook to build my list for a few years but now with my ebooks, I’m generating thousands of dollars in sales using Facebook because I’m leveraging the power of two marketing systems (Kindle free books and Facebook promoted posts/ads).

5) Reinvest

Once you start getting good cashflow from your products, reinvest in your business! If your ads are working, do more ads. Hire better team members. Don’t just spend your money on crap you don’t need – reinvest it in your business to create a better product for your customers and increase your marketing.

6) Kill Distractions

The worst kind of distractions are the ones you think are good for you. The person who asks to talk about a new business proposal or the wide-eyed marketer who has the next million dollar idea for you. In my experience, 99% of the time these people lead you nowhere but down an empty path of wasted time. You don’t need another million dollar idea or proposal to grow your business. Just focus on giving your customers what they want. Don’t just give everyone your time because they want it. Pretty soon, you won’t have any time left to work on the really important stuff.

7) Always Be Promoting

Even if you’re answering questions for people, writing a blog post or talking with a stranger at the mall, always be promoting! You never know who could refer that next huge client or business partner. Let people know what you’re up to and how you help your customers. Treat everyone like they’re important regardless of their current financial or social position.

Speaking of marketing, my book Facebook For Business Owners is now FREE on Amazon.com only until Feb. 13. You can grab your copy here: http://viewBook.at/B009PPCPUE

In this book, you’ll learn how to create an awesome Facebook Fan Page and use it to effectively market your business on Facebook.

You do NOT need a Kindle to read the book! You can still read it for free on any computer or tablet using Amazon’s free software available here: http://amzn.to/13aluuF

No! Your question is way too vague. I get asked these vague questions about 10 times a day. If you want a good answer, ask a specific question or just do the research on your own. There is no easy way out. “Don’t be lazy in learning” as my mentor Jim Rohn taught me many years ago.

Who should I talk to at Amazon customer service about (my problem)?

I have no idea. Honestly, Amazon customer service for authors is horrible in my opinion.

How do you publish a book on Kindle?

How do you format a book for Kindle?

It’s complicated. I recommend using Microsoft Word. I use a PC. Microsoft Word for Mac is completely different so I can’t help with any Mac Word formatting questions but I know that some people here can: https://www.facebook.com/groups/587402377941733/

How long should a Kindle book be?

There is no minimum or maximum. I’ve seen 5 page books on Kindle and I’ve seen 1028 page books there.

Personally, I recommend at least 10,000 words for nonfiction, unless you can do it justice in less.

For fiction, I recommend 5,000 or more. Some people like to read short stories for 99 cents, go figure.

Your book length should be determined by its usefulness to the reader, not your personal agenda. Always remember to give your readers what they want! That’s how you become a successful author. Everything else is secondary.

How many books have you written?

As of January 18, 2013, on Amazon there are 18 books in my name. I’ve written several more under pen names. I also hire writers to write books for my publishing company. Overall, I’ve published more than 50 books to date.

How do you market Kindle books successfully and become a bestselling author?

My ENTIRE marketing system is included in my books. I literally hold nothing back from my readers. If I ever find a new marketing idea, I always test it out myself first, and if it’s good I edit one of my current books to update it with that new info. If I accumulate enough new marketing ideas, I may publish a new book but for right now, I’m just focusing on making my current books as incredibly valuable as possible for my loyal readers like you.

The first book in the series is The Kindle Writing Bible and in it I share all my writing secrets for increased writing productivity as well as my pre-marketing system (how I come up with bestselling book ideas, market research before even writing a book, etc.).

The second book is The Kindle Formatting Bible – it’s a step by step guide for formatting books for Kindle and also step-by-step instructions on uploading your book to kindle and publishing it.

The third book is The Kindle Publishing Bible and this is the gold mine for marketing. It covers all of my core initial free marketing strategies that propelled me to become a bestselling author earning a full-time income from my Kindle books in less than 8 months. It’s available on Kindle and in paperback.

The fourth marketing book is The Amazon Analytics Bible and in it I share my secret code for tracking traffic to your Kindle book page. You can actually track every single time a visitor looks at your book page and using this data you can calculate your sales conversion rate of your book page. Using this strategy with a little testing and tweaking, I’ve gotten my sales conversion rate on my book pages from an average of 11.4% to 19.1% – that’s a 67% increase in sales!

The final marketing book is Ninja Book Marketing Strategies which covers 8 powerful free book marketing strategies that will help your sell way more books in just 8 days. All of these strategies I discovered after I had already had a lot of success on Kindle but they helped me bump up my sales even more in a very short period of time so I decided to put them all in one affordable little book that will help you skyrocket your sales.

Is it tough to get sales on Kindle? Can I really succeed as a Kindle author?

Selling books on Kindle is easy for me. It doesn’t mean it will be easy for you. If you read the Kindle Bible series though, I think you will see how doable it is for you.

Like any real success in life, it takes work, determination, a burning desire, passion, knowledge and skills and a never-give-up attitude. If you’re lazy or just want to get rich quick, please don’t bother.

If you’re someone with a real passion for writing, a message to share or a story to tell, then Kindle publishing could change your life forever and I would encourage you to explore this route to help your readers with your great message and/or stories.

Will you promote / tag / like / share / read / review my book?

No, sorry. First of all, I don’t believe in review swapping. This is where two authors decide to leave each other 5 star reviews so they can both sell more books. I believe it’s unethical and I take a strong stance against that in The Kindle Publishing Bible series.

I get hundreds of requests like this a month and, although I want nothing more than to help my readers, I wouldn’t have any time to write or spend time with my family if I had to read all these books and help promote them. Instead, I’ve given you all the tools and resources in my books you need to get LEGITIMATE reviews ethically from readers and Top 1000 Amazon reviewers. I’ve also given you step-by-step marketing systems and solutions to promote your books ethically using KDP Select Free promotions to get massive exposure and much more.

I recommend posting a request on Craigslist San Francisco in the writer’s gig section (it’s free to post there). You’ll get dozens of qualified responses. Be smart though! Always get at least 3 quotes minimum and call references. Never pay in full upfront for any service. Always pay on delivery to avoid losing your money.

If you’re hiring a writer, make sure to get a Work For Hire contract signed and get legal advice from an attorney! I am not an attorney and I can’t give legal advice, this entire post is all just for entertainment purposes and should never be construed as financial, legal or tax advice of any kind. <3 my lawyers.

Can I interview you for (insert show, product, program)?

For media interviews, just contact me using the Contact form on this site. Make sure to include the name of the media outlet and audience size.

If you want to interview me for some kind of product launch, please only contact me if you’re an experienced marketer and have done several successful launches before.

Can you publish my books for me?

Although I do publish books for others on occasion with a 50/50 royalty split, right now my client waiting list is astronomical. Priority is given to clients with:

A huge online following or existing platform

Leading experts in their field who have multiple completed books that are yet unpublished

Really good marketers with a lot of experience in online marketing, a big marketing budget and are new to Kindle and publishing or just want someone to do all the editing / formatting / publishing for them and help with the marketing campaign.

If you fit one of these categories, feel free to send me a message with your expected date of finishing your book(s) and, if it fits, we can work something out.

Should I publish my book in Paperback?

I highly recommend publishing your book as a paperback if it’s at least 75 pages on Kindle (that will be about 100 pages in paperback or so when you change the formatting over) and your book is currently selling over $1,000/m (then it will be a quick payback on your investment).

Having a published paperback is awesome because it because it’s a great physical representation of your work as an author and it provides a lot more credibility than saying you publish ebooks because people can’t see, touch or feel your ebooks, especially at live events, social situations or in 1-on-1 meetings.

Here’s a picture with me and two of my friends who received the first copies of my book The Kindle Publishing Bible in paperback. Erai and Raam are both extremely successful online marketers and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to help both of them publish their great content, advice and message on Kindle.

I use CreateSpace for paperback publishing because it’s super easy, syncs with Amazon Kindle listings seamlessly and it’s POD (Print on Demand) meaning no upfront investment for printing.

Can you give me advice on my book title, marketing, categories, keywords, Facebook ads, building a marketing funnel, etc?

If you want specific advice and coaching, my schedule is currently booked but you can add yourself to the waiting list using the contact form on this site. My hourly rate for consulting is $500 an hour, payable upfront.

What advice would you give to an author who really wants to succeed?

If you’re serious about being a successful author or Kindle publisher, you better connect with other like-minded people and learn from each other! There is no success without continual learning and improvement and you can’t do that just by reading books alone – you need a community to support you! Here are just a few of the groups I’m in that I recommend:

In today’s podcast show, I interview Steve Scott, a successful blogger, affiliate marketer and best-selling Kindle Author. Steve and I are both consistently ranked in the Top 50 Business & Investing Kindle Authors on Amazon.com. In this interview, Steve shares his marketing secrets for success as a Kindle ebook author.

In the show, Steve mentions a list of Freebie sites you can use to promote your free KDP Select promotion dates. All of these sites are free to list on:

Steve mentions a lot more great marketing resources, tips and strategies including how to choose a best-selling book title, keyword research, using Author Central to market your books and much, much more!

In this book, you will learn how to track traffic to your Amazon Kindle book page using a secret trick I stumbled upon on accident. You’ll also learn how to calculate your sales conversion rate on your book page using this new data and how to test and tweak your book page to increase your sales. Using this simple strategy, in only 30 days I increased my book sales conversion rate from 11.4% to 19.1% – that’s a 67% increase in sales from one simple change!!

You do NOT need a Kindle to read the book! You can still read it without a Kindle on any computer or tablet using Amazon’s free software available here: http://amzn.to/13aluuF

Your attire and outfit is really a big part in your job interview. It is the first thing that the interviewer will see on you. That is why, as much as possible we really have to be formal from the dress through our ways. I’am writing this article because there are interviewees who are not aware of the proper attire during a job interview and it is one of the reasons that made them fail. So, if that will happen, you will lose the chance to get the position you are applying for.

One of the things that an employer is looking for at first is whether you are suitable in the position and one way to display it is to act professionally specifically by dressing properly. If you are in the interview, you really need to do your best to stand out among the many applicants and it doesn’t mean that you will dress sexy and seductive but if you dress with class along with confidence. If these two factors are within you, you really stand out. But of course we have also to suit our outfit to the position we are applying for.

Here are the tips we have to bear in mind during a job interview:

Never use attention seeking shade of colors like neons, yellow, glow in the dark. You really have to choose colors that are neutral such as black, white, brown or gray. You can also use earth colors such as light brown, olive green and gray.

A black or a navy blue suit is perfect most especially for men. They could pair it with inside long sleeves that are light colors such as white.

Play safe by using a black silk tie. Minimize using checkered tie that can draw attention. It is not bad to use it, but for a first time encounter with the employer, a black tie would be best.

Being clean and classy will never go out of fashion. So don’t be so exaggerated with your outfit. Just wear simple but elegant clothes.

For women, you can also use neutral color slacks paired with a long sleeve or formal blouse. You can also use pencil skirt but make sure it is below the knee.

Never use above the knee skirts because you will draw attention in a negative way to your employer.

For women, try not overaccessorize. A watch, a pair of pearl and necklace will do. In men, a simple watch is really okay.

Use mild scent perfume. Don’t put high scent perfumes that could irritate the interviewer’s nose because it will be a negative on your part.

I hope these job interview outfits helped you a lot. Just always remember that even though how formal your outfit is, but you act unprofessionally, it will still be useless. It is best to dress properly and paired it with class, charm and confidence. For sure, you will really stand out and pass the interview process.

Anywhere in the world podcast is used. From businesses, personal use or even leisure time. It can have so many uses most especially in online home- based business. In this article, I will show you how important and how useful podcast is not just in our personal lives but even in home based business.

Podcast can find your target market

In working online, there are really times that it is difficult for us to reach our niche market. So, in using podcasts, this will help you find them easily.

We should not worry nowadays because podcast can already be seen on iTunes and as we all know that most people are using iTunes. The popularity of the podcast is already trending so it is not that difficult already to advertise the use of podcast.

In the podcast, you can share your passion.

Sharing what you love is not impossible in the podcast. Just don’t really be shy and intimidate to share anything in Podcast because you never know there are many out there who have the same interest as yours.

And what good about Podcasts is that your feelings and emotions are felt. If you are excited, excitement will really be felt and if your sad, feelings will be felt as well. So, readers could really feel what you want to convey.

You can share information

A podcast can help share and disseminate information and this information will be reached to the people who will need it.

You can be an expert

Using podcast can help you be an expert in your field and in your area where you want to broadcast.

It is easy

Podcast can easily be used and easily be learned so using it will give you no difficulty.And aside from that, you can really use it in a very convenient manner because you will only save it through your iPod, iPad or iPhones. You can bring it anywhere you go and you can really benefit from it.

I hope this article really helps you in using Podcasts and what is best about it.

In selling a product, it is very important to write a product review because if you have a good product review, you are inviting buyers to buy. It is like in a movie trailer, if it is good, for sure many people will watch it on the showing days.

In this article, I will show you important elements to include when you make a product reviews:

The picture or the video of the product

It is really required to put the pictures of your product in order for the buyers to see the actual appearance. It always depends on the product. For example in my case, since I’am a writer, I do put pictures of my books in order for the buyers to know the external appearance of the book. They may have a n idea of what they would buy and how it looked like.

For the video of the product, this is very helpful because you may present how the product works. Since my product is books, obviously video reviews is not possible. Products like cars and gadgets are the most appropriate in this kind of review.

Product description

For product description, it is really best to describe your product in every detail. It would usually include the size, the special features, the number of pages, the advantages, the price and why should buyers will buy that certain product.

Buyer’s description

This will be included in order for the right buyer to buy the right product. It will focus on the target market. For example, if the product is a book about careers, so obviously it target early to middle aged individual that is on the peak of their career.

Make sure that you include the proof

There are two main reasons why proof should be included. First, you really have the proof that you actually reviewed your product. Second, the proof that the product really works. Because sometimes there would be product reviews that are biased since what they put on their product reviews is different from what is really actual.

Point out also the negative side effect of your product

Giving the negative side effect of your product would make your product review believable. This will make your product review fair and never biased. Compare to reviews that is more on the positive, it will make it really fake and unbelievable.

Include product reviews on advertisements

Advertisements are very important because everything that is posted on advertisements are trusted by prospect buyers. So you really have to invest to put your product reviews on advertisements.

Action

Call to action facilitate buyers to proceed to the next level after they saw the product reviews. For example, if they will buy your product, where should they buy it, and how is the payment process. In this way, you will guide your buyers to the their payment transactions.

I hope these elements helped you a lot in posting your product reviews.

Nowadays, Facebook is really popular. It almost covers all the market group; it may be teenagers, young adult, older adults and even profession. Today, it seems that Facebook is really a necessity and it is really helpful in many ways. Such as:

It could help you connect with your families, friends and loved ones who are far away from you.

You can search people whom you haven’t seen for ages.

It can serve as your personal profiling.

However, there are also downsides Facebook can bring like:

It can be a distraction most especially to school aged individuals. Because instead of studying, they would spend time in their Facebook account.

Others may have a chance to ruin other’s personal reputation by posting bad things on other’s account.

It can waste our time.

Despite of the negative aspects of Facebook, This social network is also helpful for some internet business because they need to build traffic on their Facebook account and here are the ways to build traffic:

Have a good profile

In Facebook, the first thing to be noticed is your profile. It can be a ticket for your success, or it can even be a way to disaster. So, whether it is personal or business use, you have to make it attractive for others visit it more often.

Provide good information and updates to your profile

Good information doesn’t mean you have to lie. But, you have to choose what you have to put in your personal information. Personal information should consist more of your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

But be careful also to put everything in your personal account. Always remember that it is a public network and everybody could see it. So, choose only the things you want to show.

Create big networks

Once everything is settled, you can now add friends. You can search it on the search button the names you want to add. It may be your classmates before, your friends, best friends and even your partner. If you do not know their full name, you can also make use of suggested friends on the right side of your account. This can be very helpful.

Update once in a while

It is also good to update your account once in a while. You can put recent pictures. You can also write a status everyday what you feel so that your friends could see it and they can comment on it. So, in this simple way, you could already build traffic on your account.

You can create a group

One advantage of Facebook is that, it is not just about yourself alone but you can also build groups and socialize with others. In this way, you could update each other about your life, you can ask questions to them and you can even promote your blog or even your book for them. They can be a big help for you, for sure.

Some would answer it in a different angles but even what their answer is, we must always consider these things:

You have to love what you are doing and where you are in.

They say, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Even though you have a very big capital for your business, you have a very well trained workers and you are in a luxurious place but if you do not love what you are doing, I’am pretty much sure your business will not succeed. Sooner if not later, it will close and it will just be considered as a failure.

We always have to remember that love the things we do. If we do not love it, we should learn to love it. However if things really do not go there way, business is not for us. We really have to accept that having a business is not suitable for everybody.

However, there would always be ways for it to be successful. If you are not in business but you are good in fashion, why not consider selling clothes that you have designed? In this way, you do what you love and like and at the same time you earn a profit.

Ask help from others

If you are really into business but you don’t have any idea about it, you really all have the right to ask help from others. For sure you have family members, friends and relatives who ran businesses of their own. You can humbly ask for their advice and support. Anyway, it is still considerable because you are a newbie.

A simple advice in this tip is that make sure that you do not show them that you are a threat to their business because for sure they will not help you. Present yourself to them that you are in a friendly competition.

Manage your resources very well

If you have established already and everything is settled, the first thing you have to put in mind is you have to manage your resources very well because even though how rich and how successful your business is, if you do not manage your resources very well, your business will fall. We also don’t want that to happen right? That is why we should make use of what is available and we should think of an idea that is not so much expensive.

I hope these 3 essential tips on starting a business helped you a lot. I do not agree that business is purely on the luck of the person but on the hard work, perseverance and effort he offered for the success of his business.

For business minded people, I know this article could really help you a lot. For anyone who is thinking to start a business, this is for you and for the people who don’t have any heart in business, you can share this article to your families, friends and loved ones.

Losing a job right now is not an easy situation. When you listen to the current news, there is an increase rate of unemployment. That is why if you have a job right now, love it and take care of it because it is very hard to find another job again. It is like repeating all over again.

To have a good job stability, you have to make yourself indispensable and irreplaceable as possible. You have to prove to them that your loss will be a big impact on your company. It is very hard to lose a job that is why you should take care of your position and your profession as well.

Find a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.

I truly know that there is no certainty in every job but we have to make sure that we should have a job protection by following these ways:

Willing to work beyond eight hour shift

If your office mates would stay in the office exactly 8 hours, you should make a way to be different. Show the company and your manager that you arrive in the office early and stayed up late because you want still to finish your work. In this way, you are trying to show them that you go beyond and you make a difference. You are not just working for the sake of working, but you are working because you also want the progress of the company and your professional growth as well.

Think of innovative ideas

As years go by, company heads would also want their company to progress and they might like it much if the progress requires a lower amount of cash and that is your responsibility. Be resourceful enough to find ways for the latest updates you can offer for your work and to the company as well.

Be very willing to take extra duties most especially duties that others really don’t like

We all know that everyone is busy and they have a work designated to them per position but as a good worker, you have to observe what others really hate about their work and make a good offer to make it for them. For example, your manager really hates to send business mails to other companies. As a help, you have to offer yourself in doing their work. Surely, they will really like you. You will look responsible, aggressive and assertive.

Show your loyalty all the time

Even though you are working in that company for yours, you still have to show and convince them that you are still loyal. You are still the one who applied in their company before that is very willing to work for the good of the company. Assurance is what they want most especially to the tenured ones.

Lets face the fact that the employment industry is quite scary because it is uncertain but beyond the uncertainty, we still have the right to show them that we work hard and we are worth keeping.